On the Hot Seat

In the five years I’ve lived in Okanogan County, my power bill has continued to climb.
My rate increases, which amount to more than 45 percent since 2009, are due in part to the Okanogan County Public Utility District’s inability to rein in spending.

Merry Christmas.
There, I said it. I didn’t wish you happy holidays or a joyful Kwanzaa. I wished you a Merry Christmas. After all, the holiday predominately celebrated in North America and Europe this time of year is just that, Christmas.

It’s that time of year again, when we shop for presents, load up the refrigerator and put up Christmas trees.
We go to church, proclaim our good will toward each other and wish everybody we meet a Merry Christmas.

My how time flies, at least within the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
In the last few weeks, we’ve reported on the Haeberle family’s dismay at the agency’s attempt to use their ranch to boost Fish and Wildlife’s land acquisition efforts.

More than a year ago, I stood in a long line to see “The Hunger Games” on opening night. This past weekend, I was surprised to be one of very few people arriving early to see “Catching Fire,” the next installment of the series written by Suzanne Collins.

Are you one of those people who takes selfies and posts them to your Web page or Facebook? Do you use your cellphone to photograph your children and upload images for friends, family and others to see?

Covering death in small communities such as ours isn’t an easy thing for any journalist to do.
As reporters, editors and photographers, our job is to lay out the facts of tragic events for you, the reader, to get the big picture. At the same time, we need to be sensitive to the family and friends of those who die.

Like many people around the country, I’ve been following the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act.
And since we live in an arguably economically depressed area of the country, I specifically am interested in finding out how many of my friends and neighbors were benefitting from a program that supposedly would give many health care for the first time.

All businesses must change with the times. And The Chronicle is no exception.
Don’t panic. You’re still going to get the award-winning local news coverage, photographs and local advertising that you’re accustomed to. And no, our print edition is not going away anytime soon.